Does Autism Speak or Does it Scream?

Lately I have been hearing more and more about Autism. You see the ads, you read about it in magazines, celebrities even talk about it on television. I was in shock when I found out that it has hit home.

My son, has been diagnosed with Autism. When I was told, my body became numb with sadness. My first thought, not MY SON! When the doctors told me, I was overcome with grief. I did not know any other way to react. My son did not have a death sentence but I sure felt like I was just handed one.

Because I have no other family members that have be diagnosed (that I am aware of) this felt very strange. It was not like having high blood pressure, diabetes, or even cancer. This was one of those syndromes that I could not place in my family tree and this was very strange.

To this day, I am still questioning why this happened. Was it my punishment for thinking that I have everything under control and this was God’s way of telling me that I am not able to control every aspect of my life? Was it too much of something and not enough of something that I did or did not eat when I carried my son? Or was it just the luck of the numbers that are now down to one in every fifty children.

Though I am not sure of the cause, I am definitely not going down without a fight! I got my gloves on and I am ready to duke this thing out!

Currently we are seeing speech and developmental therapist with the occupational therapist to follow. I must say that it has been tough trying to manage an Autistic child, a four year old, a full-time job and a home but by God’s grace and mercy, things are working out.

I am looking forward to more reports on his progress. I get super excited every time there is the smallest amount of progress. As you can guess, I am his biggest cheerleader.

If you know of someone that is facing this, please encourage them to support their child to the fullest. Sometimes small things like speech or the lack of makes us think that children are just quiet or don’t like to speak because siblings speak for them. If you are in doubt, please check it out. Do not delay in seeking help. If you think that your child exhibits behaviors that seem abnormal for their age, please talk with your pediatrician who can refer you for testing that is not invasive.

So for me, Autism screams because I am screaming right back at it!

Mary Jane
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